The Thai junta unveiled a new US$10 billion defence and security budget Thursday, in what may be its final opportunity to allocate extra funds to the armed forces before a promised return to elections early next year.
Military spending has risen since former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power from the civilian government in 2014, fitting a pattern of Thai generals generously boosting budgets after their periodic coups.
The figures, proposed to the junta-picked National Legislative…
Affordable housing and the future of viability assessments
ANALYSIS: A recent High Court judgment gives important guidance on valuation evidence for the purposes of viability assessments in planning applications and appeals. It said that the developer must demonstrate that the maximum reasonable amount of affordable housing has been met when that amount is below the borough-wide affordable housing target.
Korean peace declaration ‘is possible without China, but would be weaker’
A declaration to officially end the Korean war without China is technically possible, but its effectiveness may be weakened considering Beijing’s geopolitical importance over the region, observers say.
Last week US President Donald Trump suggested that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might be able to fashion a peace agreement at their meeting in Singapore on June 12 – a meeting that may involve South Korean President Moon Jae-in, but to which China has not been invited.
Trump…
Exchange 106: the awkward 492-metre reminder of Malaysia’s ex-leader Najib Razak
As Malaysia seeks to move beyond the excesses associated with nearly a decade of rule under ex-prime minister Najib Razak, one of his pet projects continues to rise irreversibly skyward to become the tallest building in Southeast Asia.
Just months from completion, Exchange 106 – or Najib’s tower as some locals call it – is one of only a few mega-projects cleared by a new government that has pledged to review deals struck by the previous administration, cut back debt, and root…
‘Data controller’ concept expanded by EU court ruling
ANALYSIS: More organisations will be considered to be ‘data controllers’ and fully subject to data protection law as a result of a new ruling issued by the EU’s highest court.
Trump-Kim summit: White House confirms leaders will meet on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa
The landmark summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held at Singapore’s Capella Hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, off the city state’s southern tip, the White House has confirmed.
Trump’s press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed the venue on Twitter on Tuesday, writing: “The venue for the Singapore summit between @POTUS and Leader Kim Jong Un will be the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. We thank our great Singaporean…
Malaysia to probe US$2 billion in payments made to Chinese pipeline firm under ousted ruler Najib Razak
Malaysia’s finance minister on Tuesday announced plans to report to the anti-graft agency upfront payments of billions of ringgit the previous administration made to a Chinese firm for two pipeline projects that have barely begun.
Since taking office two weeks ago, Lim Guan Eng has been driving a campaign to expose financial scandals in the administration of former prime minister Najib Razak, unseated in a stunning election defeat last month.
Lim said Najib’s government had paid 8….
White House says Trump, Kim to meet at 9am Singapore time on June 12
Preparations for a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are going well, and the two are tentatively scheduled to meet at 9am Singapore time on June 12, the White House said on Monday.
The announcement of the timing for the first meeting between the two leaders came just three days after Trump hosted a North Korean delegation at the White House bearing a letter from Kim.
Trump, who had earlier cancelled the summit meeting, abruptly announced that…
EDPB outlines how businesses should approach data transfers
ANALYSIS: General counsel and senior decision makers at the world’s biggest companies have been given a clear sense of what is expected of their business when planning to transfer personal data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA).
Trump-Kim summit venue: Singapore tightens security near Shangri-La Hotel as rumours swirl
Singapore has moved to declare its leafy diplomatic district near the popular Orchard Road shopping belt a “special event area”, fuelling speculation that the landmark summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel. The announcement in the government gazette came as diplomatic sources told This Week In Asia on Monday that Pyongyang was insistent that the June 12 event could not be held in an American or European…